BRUCE COVERT NAMED MANAGER, OFFICIATING DEVELOPMENT

Ontario Basketball (OBA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Bruce Covert as Manager, Officiating Development. 

OBA has recognized that focusing on and investing in the development of game officials is necessary in order to continue to become world-class leaders in basketball. This role will develop and implement a strategic, long-term officiating development plan to systematically grow and develop officials throughout the province, in alignment with the standards of the Canadian Basketball Officials Commission’s (CBOC) and International Basketball Federation (FIBA). 

Bruce, a native of Cobourg, Ontario, has officiated and developed officials at the community, provincial, national and international level for over 40 years and held numerous leadership roles with Ontario Association of Basketball Officials (OABO) and International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO).

“We are delighted to have Bruce join our team,” expressed Jason Jansson, executive director, Ontario Basketball. “He has played a significant role in officiating development in Ontario for a long-time and is the natural choice to help unify basketball development in this province.” 

The role of Manager, Officiating Development comes at a critical time given the growth of the game, specifically within Ontario Basketball through the introduction of Ontario Basketball League (OBL) and Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) and following the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport’s revised Sport Recognition Policy (one of the commitments made as part of Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan). The Sport Recognition Policy sets out various mandates, which requires provincial sport governing bodies to oversee all aspects of basketball development. Ontario Basketball will fully align with these requirements in order to ensure that sport activities offered by Ontario’s organizations meet a high standard of quality, safety and effectiveness.

Additionally, as identified in Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan, Ontario recognized the importance of promoting women and girls in sport, and finding ways to increase sport participation so they can achieve their full athletic potential. With this focus, OBA is pleased to announce a successful grant application through the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund (OSRCF). OBA will work with the Ontario Association of Basketball Officials (OABO) to create Ref ON, a program to recruit, train and mentor 31 female basketball officials, one from every officiating board in Ontario, in order to increase the capacity of the sport sector to deliver quality basketball programming and to provide employment opportunities for females in the Active for Life sector.

“I am excited to begin this next venture in my established officiating career,” said Covert. “Just as athletes and coaches strive to compete at various levels in the province, our officials have similar goals and I am proud to help Ontario Basketball contribute to their development moving forward.” 

 

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